Glossary
Terms that should not usually be translated without comment, they carry shades of meaning that a short modern gloss cannot capture. Used throughout the site, with a link here.
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álfar
Supernatural beings associated with fertility and nature.
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Andvaranaut
A cursed gold ring with the power to generate more gold.
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Ásgarðr
The fortress and home of the gods high above the nine worlds.
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áss
A divine being belonging to the pantheon of the Æsir.
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berserkr
A warrior in a frenzied battle-state considered invulnerable.
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Bifröst
The shimmering rainbow bridge connecting Midgard to Asgard.
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blót
An Old Norse sacrificial ceremony in honour of the gods.
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Brísingamen
Freyja's legendary necklace forged by four dwarves.
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dísir
Female protective spirits tied to kin and fertility.
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drápa
A formal laudatory skaldic poem with refrain stanzas in a lord's honour.
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draugr
A reanimated corpse with supernatural strength and will.
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Draupnir
Óðinn's gold ring that dripped eight equal rings every ninth night.
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dróttkvætt
The dominant verse metre in skaldic poetry with strict rhyme and alliteration.
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dvergr
Underground master smiths created from the primordial giant's body.
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Edda
The name for the two principal sources of Old Norse mythology.
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einherjar
Fallen warriors in Valhöll who train for Ragnarök.
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Élivágar
The primordial frozen rivers whose ice gave rise to the first giant Ymir.
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fimbulvetr
Three consecutive winters without summer heralding Ragnarök.
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fornyrðislag
The oldest Norse verse metre used in mythological Eddic poems.
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fylgja
A personal guardian spirit that follows the individual and portends death.
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galdr
An Old Norse magical song or incantation delivered in a high voice.
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Gimlé
The radiant hall that survives Ragnarök and shelters the righteous.
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Ginnungagap
The yawning void that existed before the creation of the world.
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Gjallarhorn
Heimdall's mighty horn whose sound wakes the gods at Ragnarök.
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Gleipnir
The slender fetter made of impossible things that bound the Fenrir wolf.
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goði
An Icelandic chieftain holding both religious and political functions.
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goðorð
The office and client network held by an Icelandic chieftain-priest.
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Gramr
Sigurd's mythic sword reforged by Reginn, capable of splitting an anvil.
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Gungnir
Óðinn's magical spear, forged by dwarves, that never misses its mark.
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hamingja
Personal luck and protective spirit that follows a family line.
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hamr
Outer shape or body that a seiðr practitioner can shed.
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heiti
Poetic byname for gods, heroes, or objects in skaldic verse.
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Hliðskjálf
Odin's high seat in Asgard from which he can survey all worlds.
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hof
Old Norse temple or cult building for worship.
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hólmganga
Regulated duel settled in a confined space, often an islet.
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hǫrgr
Outdoor altar of stacked stones for sacrifice and worship.
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hugr
Mind, will, and thought regarded as a component of the soul's composition.
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Hvergelmir
The primordial spring in Niflheim from which all rivers flow and Níðhöggr gnaws at Yggdrasil's root.
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jarl
High Norse noble title ranking below king, with military and administrative power.
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járngreipr
Iron gauntlets that Thor must wear to wield Mjölnir.
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jötunn
Ancient nature being and divine counterpart, frequently of colossal stature.
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karl
Free farmer or common man, the middle social class between jarl and thrall.
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kenning
Compound poetic circumlocution in skaldic verse, frequently in the genitive.
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Lævateinn
Mythical twig or staff fashioned at Mímir's well, possessing magical power.
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landnám
The colonisation process by which settlers claimed land in Iceland during the 9th-10th centuries.
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ljóðaháttr
Old Norse verse form alternating long lines with shorter full lines, common in wisdom poetry.
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málaháttr
Old Norse verse form related to fornyrðislag but with longer lines and more syllables.
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Megingjörð
Thor's strength belt that doubles the god's already enormous might.
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Miðgarðr
The world of humans, fashioned from Ymir and encircled by the great ocean.
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Mímisbrunnr
The well of wisdom at Yggdrasil's root, guarded by Mímir, where Odin sacrificed an eye.
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Mjǫlnir
Thor's hammer, forged by dwarves, which returns to the thrower's hand.
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Múspellsheimr
The primordial realm of fire and heat in the south, whose sparks kindled the celestial bodies.
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Naglfar
The death-ship built from the nails of the dead that carries the jötnar's army against the gods at Ragnarök.
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Náströnd
The corpse-shore in Hel to which murderers, oath-breakers, and seducers are sent after death.
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níð
Deep dishonour and insult believed to corrupt a man's social and magical status.
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níðstöng
A scorn pole erected to dishonour an enemy through níð-magic.
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Niflheimr
The world of mist, the primordial cold realm in Norse cosmology.
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norn
Fate-weavers who spin and cut the threads of human destiny.
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örlög
The primordial fate, the laws inscribed in the foundation of time.
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Ragnarök
The doom of the gods and the end of the world, followed by a new creation.
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saga
Old Norse prose literature about heroes, kings and family disputes.
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seiðmaðr
A man who practises seiðr, often stigmatised as unmanly.
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seiðr
Old Norse shamanic magic used to perceive and shape fate.
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skáld
Old Norse court poet who composed complex praise poetry for princes.
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Skíðblaðnir
Freyr's magical ship, forged by dwarves, which always had a favourable wind.
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vísa
A metrical unit in Old Norse poetry, typically four or eight lines.
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sumbl
A ritual drinking ceremony in which oaths, memory and words of honour were exchanged.
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þing
Old Norse law-governed assembly for justice and collective decisions.
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þræll
An unfree person, slave, in Old Norse stratified society.
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Tyrfingr
A cursed sword forged by dwarves, invincible but deadly to its owner.
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Urðarbrunnr
The well of fate beneath Yggdrasill where the norns weave human destinies.
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Útgarðr
The giants' outer realm, beyond the boundaries of order in Norse myth.
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útiseta
Ritual solitary vigil outdoors through the night to seek visions or spirit contact.
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Valhöll
Óðinn's hall for fallen warriors, the chosen einherjar.
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vanr
One of the Vanir class of gods, deities of fertility, seiðr and prosperity.
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vargr
Wolf or outlaw, an ambiguous figure in Old Norse law and mythology.
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vættir
Nature spirits bound to land, sea or home in the Old Norse belief system.
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völva
A seiðr-practising seeress with a staff, revered and feared in Old Norse culture.
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wyrd / Urðr
The Old English and Norse concept of fate, that which happens and has happened.
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Yggdrasill
The cosmic ash tree that supports and connects the nine worlds.